Ceiling tiles have been used extensively for years in home, office and industrial environments. The tiles are typically very light due to their high porosity. Unfortunately their lightness makes them particularly vulnerable to damage, wear and discoloration which is typically caused by water damage or by workman attempting to remove the tiles. Until the invention disclosed in said U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,540, it was standard practice to replace the damaged or discolored tiles with new tiles. It was difficult to wash the tiles and prior to our invention it was extremely difficult to repair them without leaving noticeable evidence of the repair. Moreover, simply replacing a few of the old tiles on a ceiling with new tiles was not generally acceptable from an aesthetic standpoint since new tiles rarely match old tiles. One replacing such tiles often discovers that the pattern or style of the old tiles is no longer available or if it is available, one often finds that the old tiles have faded too much to match the new tiles. Accordingly, where appearance is important, it is often necessary to replace the entire ceiling, not just those tiles which are damaged or discolored. The replacement of such, quite obviously, can be an expensive undertaking, particularly when large areas are involved.
As previously mentioned, the invention disclosed in co-pending application U.S. Ser. No. 707,908 addresses the aforementioned problems by providing an on-site method of refinishing worn or discolored building panels. In the method, panels are first removed from their installed location. The panel is then sprayed with an adhesive and covered with a thin sheet of decorative material. Pressure is then applied to the panel, covering, and adhesive, resulting in a neat, secure bond. The refinished panel is then installed in its original location with the new covering exposed.
Systems providing tiled surfaces for covering walls are also noted in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 1,863,842 to Grigsby discloses a structure for covering a wall with tiles. The structure includes a sheet for attachment to a wall and a plurality of tiles, each of which is provided with protrusions extending from the tile which fit into preformed holes provided in the sheet to secure the tile to the sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,946,690 to Haines discloses another structure for covering a wall with tiles. The structure includes a metallic sheet for attachment to a wall and a plurality of tiles, each of which is provided with marginal flanges which fit with preformed lugs projecting from the sheet to align tiles on the sheet. The tiles are set on the sheet after a layer of mortar has been applied to the sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,038,920 to Bishop discloses a covering a system for covering a wall, floor or ceiling with tiles. The system includes a fibrous backing panel and a plurality of tile units for covering the panel. Nailing spurs are provided on each tile unit for penetrating and securing the tile unit to the backing. Spacing lugs are also provided on each tile to space the tiles from one another. After securing the tiles to the backing, a plastic composition is applied to point the tiles and fill the spaces between the tiles and the backing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,872,804 to Baldanza discloses a mortarless tile construction system. The system includes a backing sheet and a plurality of tiles having sides which interlock with adjacent tiles. The tiles are also provided with projections which extend through preformed holes provided in the backing sheet to secure the tiles thereto.
Methods of covering panels prior to installation are also noted in the art. An apparatus and method for adhering a plastic covering to an acoustical panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,092,203 to Slater, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,547 to Selby discloses a method of applying, by heat, a plastic film having decorative qualities to wall panels, form board, roof planks, acoustical and decorative tile, plywood panels and ceiling board. A method of applying adhesive to a wall panel and the like prior to installation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,531,128 to Hobbs, and in 1,505,908 to MacKinnon.
While the foregoing patents disclose useful tile construction systems and systems for covering building panels with sheets, there is still a need for a system capable of covering installed ceiling tiles which is low cost, simple to use, fast and capable of covering the tiles without having to remove them from the ceiling.